Last Updated on October 2, 2024 by Jordan Monaco

Reception:  Thursday, October 10, 4:00-6:00 pm

Exhibition Dates: October 10–December 5, 2024

The Betty Feves Art Gallery at Blue Mountain Community College is pleased to open the 2024-25 school year with an exhibition by celebrated local painter Arlen Clark. Titled It’s Just Paint, this solo show features a vibrant array of Clark’s acrylic works, filled with the dynamic patterns and bold outlines that define his signature style. His paintings often depict friends, family, and imaginative scenes from daily life. The paintings in this exhibition span a 30-year period, offering viewers a rich visual history of Clark’s evolving style and vision.

A longtime resident of Hermiston, Clark is a self-taught artist who has been painting for over 40 years. His work has been featured in local venues such as the Pendleton Center for the Arts, and Pendleton Art and Frame. Notably, in 2016, Clark was selected by curator Michele Grabner to exhibit in the “Studio Visits” portion of the Portland Art Biennial at Disjecta Contemporary Art Center.

Clark was born in Salem and moved to Hermiston in 1949, at the age of three. At 17, he enlisted in the Army, where he played baseball and served as a Personnel Specialist for three years. Over the years Clark held various jobs, from postal clerk, to railroad laborer, to federal guard. Reflecting on his work history, Clark said he never found a job he truly loved. Painting, however, became his enduring passion, a pursuit he has followed for more than four decades.

Clark’s artistic journey was profoundly shaped by a class with Sandra Jones Campbell, who encouraged him to explore painting without limits. According to Clark, “She taught me that I could paint anything I wanted, any way I wanted.” This permission to creatively explore unleashed his imagination and opened a new world for Clark artistically. The class was offered by BMCC in Winter Term of 1979 and held in the art classroom at Hermiston High School. This spark helped unlock Clark’s creative potential and set him on his current path as a painter.

“I don’t plan my paintings,” Clark explains, “I’ll look at a canvas for a few days, visualizing the colors and patterns I want to create.” His use of vibrant hues and intricate patterns is influenced by childhood memories of watching his grandmother hand-sew quilts. “Painting relaxes me; it takes me someplace else for a while,” he adds. Early in his career, Clark created copies of works by artists he admired, including Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Modigliani. His influences also include a childhood paint-by-numbers kit, and a book of biblical stories set in Egypt with striking illustrations. The hieroglyphics and lush patterns seen in ancient Egyptian art have been a perennial inspiration. He also credits local artists like Lori Baxter and Roberta Lavadour with helping him find opportunities to exhibit, teach, and share his work with the public.

As the exhibition opens, Clark will be celebrating his 79th birthday. We invite you to join us at the Feves Gallery for a celebratory opening reception, honoring his lifelong creative journey. The reception will run from 4:00-6:00 pm on Thursday, October 10; the exhibition will be on view until December 5. This family-friendly event is free and open to the public.

For more information about It’s Just Paint and the Feves Gallery, please visit https://bluecc.edu/feves-art-gallery/.

The Betty Feves Memorial Art Gallery at BMCC is a non-profit exhibition space connecting emerging and established artists and their work with students, staff, and the public in eastern Oregon. The gallery welcomes tours from schools, clubs, and other organizations during exhibits. Those interested should contact Feves Gallery Director Nika Blasser, nblasser@bluecc.edu or 541-278-5952.

The gallery is open to the public Monday–Thursday, 9:30 am–1:30 pm, and is located in Pioneer Hall on the Pendleton Campus, 2411 NW Carden Avenue. Admission is free.

Arlen Clark, Ice Age Rhino, acrylic on canvas, 30” x 24”